ALLSTON, Mass. – Portland Thorns FC were unable to overcome a three-goal halftime deficit while playing with 10 players for the final 48 minutes of the match in a 4-1 loss against the Boston Breakers on Wednesday night in front of 1,556 fans at Harvard Stadium in Allston, Mass.
Boston (2-6-0, 6pts) opened the scoring in the second minute as forward Nkem Ezurike converted a shot at the far post after a pass from the right side through the penalty box by Jazmine Reeves. In the 25th minute, Thorns FC goalkeeper Nadine Angerer came off her line to make a diving stop on a shot by forward Courtney Jones, but Reeves was in position to collect the rebound and score, putting the Breakers ahead, 2-0, early in the match
Thorns FC (4-3-2, 14pts) tallied seven first-half corner kicks, including a sequence of three straight, during which forward Christine Sinclair delivered a header from the inside the penalty box in the 38th minute that was tipped over the crossbar by Boston goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher.
Portland defender Kat Tarr was shown a straight red card in the 42nd minute after fouling Ezurike near the edge of the penalty box on a potential goal-scoring opportunity, reducing Thorns FC to 10 players for the remainder of the match.
Reeves gave Boston a 3-0 lead just before halftime as she received a through ball from Jones, dribbling into the box and hitting a right-footed shot inside the upper-left corner of the goal for her second goal of the match.
Thorns FC outshot Boston 11-7 in the second half, and finished with a 19-17 advantage in the game. Portland got on the board in the 62nd minute when midfielder Allie Long laid the ball off for Sinclair at the top of the box. Sinclair fired a one-touch shot inside the lower-left corner for her first goal of the season.
Reeves completed her hat-trick collecting a long through ball from Evans and finishing inside the box with a high shot to the top-left corner in the 59th minute for Boston’s fourth goal of the match.
The loss marks Portland’s first road loss since a 2-1 setback at Boston on Aug. 7, 2013, a span of 295 days.
Portland will be back in action on Saturday, June 7, at Providence Park against the Western New York Flash; kickoff is set 7 p.m. (Pacific).The match will be broadcast live via high-definition webstream at www.portlandthornsfc.com.
Notes:
- Thorns FC lost its first road game since Aug. 7, 2013, a span of 295 days.
- Defender Nikki Marshall made her 31st consecutive regular-season start for Thorns FC on Wednesday.
- Forward Christine Sinclair, who tallied her first goal of the season, has recorded four or more shots for the fifth consecutive match as she tallied six shots on Wednesday night.
- With 19 shots on Wednesday, Portland has recorded double-digit shot attempts in five consecutive games.
Portland Thorns FC (4-3-2, 14pts) at Boston Breakers (2-6-0, 6pts)
May 28, 2014 – Harvard Stadium (Allston, Mass.)
Goals by Half 1 2 F
Portland Thorns FC 0 1 1
Boston Breakers 3 1 4
Scoring Summary
BOS: Ezurike (Reeves), 2
BOS: Reeves, 25
BOS: Reeves (Jones), 45
BOS: Reeves (Evans), 59
POR: Sinclair (Long), 62
Misconduct Summary
BOS: Jones (Caution), 39
POR: Tarr (Ejection), 42
POR: Shim (Caution), 58
BOS: Whitehill (Caution), 64
BOS: D’Agostino (Caution), 73
Lineups & Stats
POR: GK Nadine Angerer, D Courtney Niemiec (Moros, 75), D Nikki Marshall, D Emily Menges, D Kat Tarr, M Amber Brooks (Shim, 46), M Sinead Farrelly, M Allie Long, M Angie Kerr (Huffman, 54), F Christine Sinclair ©, F Jessica McDonald
Substitutes Not Used: F Acevedo, F Morgan
TOTAL SHOTS: 19 (Sinclair, 6); SHOTS ON GOAL: 6 (Sinclair, 3); FOULS: 7 (Tarr, 3); OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 9; SAVES: 4
BOS: GK Alyssa Naeher, D Cat Whitehill, D Jazmyne Avant, D Chelsea Stewart (Washington, 66), D Julie King, M Ashley Grove, M Bianca D’Agostino, M Maddy Evans, F Courtney Jones (Sanderson, 75), F Jazmine Reeves, F Nkem Ezurike (O’Reilly, 61)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Kranich, M Mewis, M Pathman, F Schoepfer
TOTAL SHOTS: 17 (Three players tied, 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 8 (Reeves, O’Reilly, 3); FOULS: 9 (D’Agostino, Ezurike, 2); OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 3; SAVES: 5
Referee: Boris Senic
Assistant Referees: Kyle Atkins, Ian McKay
4th Official: Mounir Idmalak
Attendance: 1,556
Weather: Partly Cloudy, 46 degrees
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial
